Protective covering for crawlers and other garments



ug. 11, 1959 M. PATTERSON PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR CRAWLERS AND OTHER CARMENTS Filed May 7, 195s INVENTOR.

M INN I E PFITTERS ON HTTRIT? United States Patent O PROTECTIVE covERiNG non cRAwLERs AND g OTHER GARMENTS This invention relates to a protective covering for crawlers, overalls, and other garments used by infants and small children, particularly in the crawling stage.

A small child, when in the crawling stage, and for that matter even after the child has learned to walk, tends to rapidly soil his or her crawlers or overalls. The child is continuously sitting or falling, and is crawling about on his hands and knees. In these circumstances, the seat of the crawlers, as well as the knees thereof, swiftly become soiled, as well as worn. In order to keep the infant clean, the crawlers or overalls must be changed with excessive frequency. In many instances, the mother desires that the infant keep the crawlers clean at least for a short period of time. Even this becomes a practical impossibility when the infant, as is usual, is possessed of considerable vitality and is quite active.

The main object of the present invention, in view of the problem of keeping the infants crawlers clean and in good condition, is to provide a protective, overlying coverlet for the crawlers, which coverlet will be designed to provide protection for the particular areas of the overalls or crawlers that tend to become soiled the most rapidly.

`Another object is to provide a protective covering of the character stated that will be designed to be swiftly applied to or removed from the infants crawlers, with maximum ease so far as the mother is concerned.

Another object is to so design the protector as to not interfere with the full freedom of movement of the infant.

A further object is to permit the material of the crawlers to be fully visible through the protector, so as not to detract from the appearance of said material.

A further object is to provide a protector which can be washed with much more speed and ease than the crawlers themselves, so that when the protector becomes soiled, it can be rapidly sponged olf even while still being worn.

Another object is to form the protector in such a way that it will cooperate with the various buttons and fasteners provided upon a conventional pair of crawlers, so that the fasteners of the crawlers serve to hold the coverlet in place.

For further comprehension ofthe invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the protector, a pair of crawlers being shown in dotted lines.

Fig, 2 is a side elevational View of the protector as seen from the rear of Fig. 1, the crawlers again being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detail sectional view substantial- 1y one line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. S isv a rear elevational view of the protector.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it is preferred that the protector 10 constituting the present invention be formed wholly of a transparent, comparatively thin plastic material which will nevertheless be possessed of substantial strength. Many such materials are of course available, and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, said material would be transparent plastic. The material of the overalls or crawlers can be readily seen therethrough with minimum detraction from the appearance of the infants wearing apparel.

In any event, the protector 10 is adapted to be positioned in overlying relation to the infants crawlers 12. Throughout the application, the infants garment will be termed crawlers However, it will be understood that the invention can be applied with equal facility to any of various other types of garments, including overalls, childrens playsuits, etc.

In any event, the crawlers 12 are completely conventional, and include the usual body part 14. The front panel of part 14, at the upper end thereof, may be reduced in width, having upwardly convergent sides 16 and having a plurality of buttons 18. Shoulder straps 20 are provided at the upper end of the garment 12, and in addition, the garment has the usual legs 22. Garments of this type are so formed that they can be completely opened along the edges of the crotch defined between the legs 22. Thus, the inner edges 24 of the legs 22 are normally kept in closed position by means of gripper fasteners 26, but can be completely opened Whenever necessary.

All this is conventional construction, and has been described herein solely for the purpose of showing the type of garment with which the invention is especially well adapted for use. The garment, in fact, serves a function of connecting the protector to selected components of the crawlers 12, so that the protector will be held in place thereon.

The protector 10 includes a front panel 28 the coniiguration, height, and width of which is such as to cause the same to completely overlie the front part of the infants crawlers 12. Thus, the front panel 28 includes a top portion 30 having upwardly convergent side edges 32 extending generally parallel with the corresponding edges 16 of the crawlers 12. The upper part 30 of the front panel 28 merges into downwardly divergent, wide leg panel members 34 of said front panel. These completely cover the legs 22 of the infants crawlers, as will be readily seen from Figs; l and 2.

The leg panel members 34 are separated. by a V-shaped recess 36, defining a crotch portion substantially duplicating the crotch portion of the crawlers ,12. Spaced longitudinally of each edge ofthe recess 36 are laterally, inwardly directed loops 38, secured to the edges of the recess. The loops 38 can be formed from strips of plastic material. It will be understood that wherever plastic is to be connected to plastic in the invention, any of various well-known expedients can be employed, as for example stitching, heat sealing, special adhesives, etc. In any event, the loops 38 are adapted to receive the gripper fasteners 26, in a manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Intermediate the opposite ends of each leg panel member 34 there is provided a transverse retaining band 40` of elastic material. Each band 40 is secured at its opposite ends to the respective side edges of its associated leg panel member 34, and extends across the back of the leg panel member, so that the infants legs can be extended between the band 40 and the panel member 34.

Thus, the loops 38, when engaged about the fasteners 26, cooperate with the band 40 in holding the leg panel members 34 in place upon the legs 22 `of the crawler 12.

The band 40 (see Fig.4) can be stitched at 42 to the' respective side edges of the associated panel members 34. The stitching 42 can also be employed to secure to the panel members 34 a pair of cover panels 44. These are of rectangular conguration. They add a thickness to the material of the leg panel members 34, directly at the knee areas thereof, where the heaviest wear is imparted to the infants crawlers and to the protector constituting the present invention. Any other means, known to the art, can be employed for securing the side edges of ea'ch cover panel 44 to the material of the front panel 28 of the protector.

Designated at 46 is a back panel, and as will be noted from Fig. 5, this is substantially shorter in length than the front panel. However, it extends across the full width of the intermediate portion of the front panel 28.

The back panel 46 has downwardly divergent side edges registered with the side edges of the front panel. The top and bottom edges of the back panel are horizontal, and the bottom edge is disposed slightly above the apex of the crotch-defining recess 36. The top edge is spaced downwardly from the top edge of the front panel.

The back panel 46 is connected at its sides to the sides of the front panel 28, by means of elastic connector strips 48 spaced along the registered side edges of the back and front panels. Strips 48 are stitched or other- Wise permanently secured to their associated side edge portions of the back and front panels.

Designated at 50 are upper connector loops, which are spaced about the edge of the upper portion of the front panel. Adjacent each loop 50 there is a buttonhole 52. By reason of this arrangement, one can use th'e loops 50 to connect the protector to the buttons 18 of the infants crawlers. Alternatively, buttonholes 52 can be employed for the same purpose. In either event, the front panel 28 is connected detachably, at locations spaced about its periphery, to fastener means provided upon the top portion of the infants garment 12.

It will be seen that the coverlet can be swiftly applied in protective relation to the infants crawler. The coverlet is simply slipped on, and by means of the loops 50 or buttonholes 52 is connected at its upper end to the front of the infants garment. The front and back panels are held in overlying relation to the infants garment, due to the provision of the connecting strip 48. The back panel will co'ver the seat of the crawler, so that Whenever the infant sits down, the back panel will protect the crawler from becoming soiled at the back.

The leg panel members 34 are held in place by the bands 40, and the loops 38 are extended between the front and back portions of each leg 22 of the infants garment. Then, merely by connecting the fastener elements 26 in the usual way, through the loops 38, the leg panel members 34 are secured, along the edges of the crotch-defining recess 36, to the corresponding edges of the infants crawler.

A very effective protective garment is thus provided,

, 4 that will prevent soiling of the crawler, or Will at least cause the crawler to become soiled far less swiftly than is presently the case. Further, the effective life of the infants garment is prolonged considerably, since the usual wear upon the knee and seat thereof does not occur. Still further, whenever the protector itself becomes soiled, it can be readily sponged off due to the fact that it is of a waterproof material. Still further, it is readily reversible if desired, and can be manufactured at so vlow a cost as to pay for itself in a short time in savings in laundering expenses, as well as in increased life for the garment 12 that is protected by the article constituting the present invention.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that: I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A protector for a ehilds garment of the type having trousers legs, fastener elements along the inner edges of said legs, and other fastener elements at the top of the garment, said protector comprising a front panel proportioned to overlie the front of said garment, a back panelproportioned to overlie a portion of the back of said garment, connector means connecting said panels at the sides thereof, means on the front panel adapted for connecting the same to the several fastener elements of the garment, and means on the front panel for engaging the same against the respective trousers legs of the garment, said front panel completely covering the front of said garment, the back panel covering at least the seat portion of the back of the garment, the front panel being formed at its lower end with downwardly divergent leg panel members adapted to be disposed in overlying relation t0 the respective trousers legs, the back panel terminating at its lower end at the upper ends of the leg panel members, said means for engaging the front panel against the trousers legs comprising bands extending transversely of and in back of the respective leg panel members and cooperating with the leg panel members in encircling the respective trousers legs, said means connectable to the fastener elements of the garment including bottom loops on the inner edges of the respective panel members, and

further including upper loops spaced about the periphery of the front panel at the top thereof, and cover panels on the front panel in overlying relation to the respective leg panel members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

